Helping Families Solve Their Financial and Personal Problems

Post navigation

Can Passengers Ride With Uber and Lyft Feeling Protected?

Uber and Lyft have become popular for their cost-saving alternative choice over traditional taxi cabs. Riders can use an app on their smartphones to find a driver at the fraction of the cost of what a taxi driver would charge.

Uber and Lyft’s rise and popularity has caught the attention of lawmakers in California. California lawmakers are focused on whether the company’s should provide commercial insurance for the drivers, passengers, pedestrians and other vehicles or whether it is sufficient for the company’s drivers to continue to bear the burden. Uber and Lyft have hired seven lobbyist to defeat the bill.

The argument all comes down to a matter of public policy and safety.

Personal automobile insurance requirements vary from state to state. In Georgia, all motorists are required to carry the minimum of Bodily injury Liability of $25,000 per person, $50,000 per occurrence and Property Damage liability of $25,000 per occurrence.

If you are injured in a vehicle driven by a Uber and Lyft driver that carries only the minimum under his personal automobile insurance policy, the state minimum will not cover your medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and attorney fees if you are severely injured or multiple people are injured in the accident. In those instances, the burden then shifts to you to find additional insurance coverage to cover your damages.

Will more regulations on Uber and Lyft resolve this issue for Georgia drivers? Only time will tell how the legislation regulating ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft will shake out.